Pad mount for floor machines



June 1967 F. D. DOLAN ETAL PAD MOUNT FOR FLOOR MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed July 15, 1964 June 20, 1967 D. DOLAN ETAL 3,325,343

PAD MOUNT FOR FLOOR MACHINES Filed July 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 m 26 m & a m nifl i 4% E 5 a d W W I: .1 1L 8 6 i5rai I? W 4 ad 4 E UnitedStates Patent 3,325,848 PAD MOUNT FOR FLOOR MACHHNES Francis ll). Dolan,Toledo, and Russell J. Barthel, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors toAmerican-Lincoln Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio FiledJuly 15, 1964, Ser. No. 382,881 7 Claims. (Cl. 15-23017) This inventionrelates to a pad assembly for a floor machine and more particularly tomounting means for fastening a floor pad to a rotatable driving memberof a floor machine.

Floor machines for cleaning, crubbing, stripping wax, polishing,buffing, etc., are well known in the art. One type of pad frequently canbe used for more than one purpose, such as for scrubbing and strippingwax, for example. Heretofore, floor pads were not attached to the floormachine but simply placed in contact with a driven member or plate whichhad a roughened surface to engage and drive the pad with the weight ofthe floor machine aiding in the driving en agement. With no mechanicalattachment between the pad and the machine, the floor pad becameseparated from the machine when picked up and transported to anothersite. In view of this deficiency, attempts have been made to provide asuitable connection between the floor pad and the machine, although theresults have been unsatisfactory. The mounting arrangements heretoforetried have been too expensive, hard to manipulate, too fragile, and havetended to mar the floor as the pad compresses and wears.

The present invention relates to a new floor pad and mounting means forconnecting the pad to a floor machine. The new mounting arrangement isso inexpensive that a portion of the fasteners employed can be discardedwhen the pad is thrown away. The new arrangement also is easy to use sothat a pad can be attached to afioor machine and removed therefrom in amatter of seconds.

In addition, the new fasteners cannot mar a floor on which the machineis used no matter how badly the pad may be worn or how much it iscompressed.

.It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provideimproved mounting or fastening means for connecting a floor pad to afloor machine, which means has the advantages outlined above.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description of a preferred embodimentthereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a floor machine using a floor pad andmounting arrangement according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in perspective of a fioor pad assembly and adriving member about to be connected thereto;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged view in vertical cross section taken alongthe line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical cross section of amounting fastener and pad shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, exploded view in vertical cross section of afastener used to connect the floor pad to a drive plate;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but with the fastener elementsassembled with a pad;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing a tool for forming part ofthe floor pad;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view in vertical cross section similar to FIG. 4of a slightly modified fastener assembled with a pad; and

FIG. 9 is a view in perspective of a means for connecting part of thefastener of FIG. 8 to the pad.

Referring to FIG. 1, a floor machine 10 includes a drive housing 12, ahandle 14 and wheels 16. The wheels pivot or tilt relative to the driven16 enable the machine to be easily transported by tilting the machineback to place the wheels in contact with the floor. Heretofore, when themachine was to be transported on the wheels, the floor pad remained onthe floor, requiring that it be picked up and carried separately whenthe machine was transported. Some attempts have been made to provide aconnection between the machine and the floor pad but the results havehad various deficiencies, as pointed out earlier.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2,: a fioor pad assembly 18 includesa driven member or plate 20, shown as being made of wood, a backing pad22, and a floor pad 24. The driven plate 20 is rotated by a drive member26 which is connected through a suitable gear reducer to a motor in thehousing 12. The drive member 26 is connected to the driven plate 20through a gim-bal ring 28. The gimbal ring 28, in turn, is fastenedtothe driven plate 20 by bolts30 andnuts 32, and spaced above a recess34 of the driven plate by spacers 36 and flat wing nuts 38. Withthis'arr angement, the gimbal ring 28 can plate 20 on an axis throughthe bolts 30. i

A pair of openings 40 are located on a line perpendicular to the axisthroughthe bolts 30, with the openings being designed to receive andengage drive lugs 42 of the drive member 26, The drive lugs 42 haveenlarged heads which support the gimbal ring 28 when inserted throughthe openings 40 and the ring 28 is twisted slightly. Again, the gimbalring 28 can tilt on an axis through the drive lugs 42 and the openings40 relative to the drive member 26. In this manner, the driven plate '20can pivot in all directions relative tothe drive member 26 and themachine 10 to accommodate uneven floors;

Referring now in more detail to 'the fioor pad assembly 18 and to'FIGS.3 and 4, the backing pad 22 preferably is in the order of A1" to thickto extend below the driven plate 20 a distance approximately equal tothe extent of protrusion of the nuts 32 and the bolts-30. The pad 22 canbe attached to the driven plate 20 by a waterproof contact cement orresinous adhesive. The pad 22 preferably is of a fibrous nature, havinga rough surface to provide good driving engagement with the floor pad24. One suitable material for the pad 22 constitutes coarse fibers ofnylon orother plastic material bonded together by latex to produce anopen but integral fibrous mat. Such material can be obtained fromArmour-Alliance Company of Alliance, Ohio, under the name Nylab. Ratherthan the fibrous material, a coarse plastic or rubber foam material canalso be employed, by way of further example.

The floor pad 24 preferably is of approximately the same size orslightly larger than the backing pad 22 but is much thicker, being threeor four times as thick. The pad 24 can be of the same plastic, fibrousmaterial as the backing pad 22 and also preferably has a rough back toengage the backing pad 22. With this arrangement, the drive path fromthe drive member 26 to the pad 24 is through the gimbal ring 28, thebolts 30, the driven plate '20, the backing pad 22, and directly to'thefloor pad 24.

In accordance with the invention, the floor pad 24 is affixed to theremaining components of the floor pad assembly 18 by several, andspecifically three, quick-acting fasteners 44 (FIGS. 4-6). The fasteners44 each include a stud 46 which is fastened to the driven plate 20 by ascrew 48. The studs 46 preferably are located around the plate 20 atangles of 120, with the studs extending through holes 50 (FIG. 3) in thebacking pad 22. A socket 52 and a button 54 also constitute part of eachof the fasteners 44 with the socket and button connected by a rivet 56integral with the button 54, as shown in FIG. 5. The rivet is projectedthrough a central opening 53 in the socket 52 and is peened over tocomplete the shown in FIG. 6. The socket 52 contains a diameter such asto assembly, as resilient split ring 60 which is of a engage firmly thehead of the stud 46.

For the purpose of fastening the socket 52 and the button 54 to thefloor pad 24, the pad has a plurality of recesses or openings 62 locatedtherearound, one for each of the fasteners 44, and aligned with theholes or apertures 50 in the backing pad 22. As shown in FIG. 7, theopenings 62 can be made by moving a heated tool or rod 64 part waythrough the pad 24, and preferably at least three-fourths of the waytherethrough, with the pad backed up by a suitable support 66. Theheated rod 64 tends to melt the plastic fibers and force the plastic andthe latex binder into a densified layer or connecting means 68 near theback surface of the pad 24, toward the driven member 20. The layer 68provides effective connecting means for the socket 52 and the button 54,with the rivet 56 of the button 54 pushed through the dense layer 68 andriveted in the usual manner to the socket 52 to form the assembly shownin FIG. 4.

The quick-acting fasteners 44 provide a very effective means forfastening the pad 24 to the driven plate 20. The pad 24 can be assembledto the member 20 quickly to facilitate interchanging the pads when themachine is to be used for different applications, and also for the purpose of replacing the pads 24 when worn. The socket 52 and the button 54of the fastener 44 are inexpensive and can be simply thrown away withthe pad 24 when no longer of use. The studs 46, of course, remain partof the driven member 20. With the mounting arrangement of the socket andbutton, the button 54 is substantially flush with the backing pad 22 sothat it is substantially impossible for the button to mar the floor nomatter how badly the pad 24 is worn.

The fasteners 44, it may be noted, do not form a driving connectionbetween the driven member 20 and the floor pad 24 since this isaccomplished by the engagement between the backing pad 22 and the floorpad 24. The fasteners 44 are used only to retain the pad on the machinewhen it is raised. Hence, no undue stress is placed on the areas of thepad 24 adjacent the openings 62.

The stud 46, the socket 52, and the button 54 are commercially availableand can be obtained, for example, from the Carr Fastener Company ofCambridge, Massachusetts, under parts numbers 459; C548; and 670,respectively.

Rather than making the pad openings in the form of the recesses 62 withthe aid of the heated tool 64, the openings can be punched completelythrough the pad. Referring more particularly to FIGS. 8 and 9, openings70 are formed entirely through a floor pad 72 with the openings 70 beingformed at the same time the pad is cut to the circular configuration.The button 54 is then affixed to the socket 60 through a metal clip orconnector 74, with the rivet 56 extending through an opening 76 in a web78. The clip 74 is of thin, resilient metal and also includes a pair oflegs 80 extending from the web 78 and a pair of projections 82 extendingfrom the legs. The dimension across the projections 82 exceed thediameter of the opening 70. The legs 80 include openings 84 thereinwhich are sufiiciently large to receive the prongs of a plier-like ortweezer-like tool which can be inserted into the opening 70 from belowand into the leg openings 84. The legs 80 are then squeezed together tomove the projections 82 toward one another and free them from the pad72. The fastener assembly can be re-assembled with the pad in theopposite manner, first squeezing the pro jections 82 and then insertingthe assembly into the open ing 70 until the button 54 is approximatelyflush with the opposite surface of the pad.

Of importance with the construction of FIGS. 8 and 9 is the fact thatthe openings 70 in the pad 72 can be formed in a one-step operation asthe paid is cut, as noted above, Also, the pad can be reversed, if forexample, the one side becomes impregnated with wax to the point of beingunusable. In such an instance, the clips 74 are removed from theopenings 70, the pad turned over, and the clips then inserted from theopposite side. The assembly constituting the button, the socket, and theclip 74 also can be retained when the pad is thrown away and used withthe next pad. This achieves a slightly lower cost for the overall pad.While the clips are shown as being resilient, they also can bestiff'with the projections pushed sequentially into the pad on oppositesides of the opening 70.

Various modifications of the above-described embodiment of the inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to be understoodthat such modifications can be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenor of theaccompanying claims.

What we claim is:

1. In combination, a driven member, a backing pad having apertures,fastener studs screwed into said member through said apertures, meansattaching said backing pad to said driven member, a thick, resilient padof plastic fibrous material, said resilient pad having a plurality ofrecesses, one for each of said fastener studs, said recesses extendingfrom a face of said resilient pad opposite said driven member part Waytherethrough, said resilient pad having dense layers at the bottoms ofsaid recesses, a fastner socket on the face of said resilient padopposite each of said recesses and engaged with one of said studs, afastener button in each of said recesses, and a rivet extending througheach of said dense layers and connecting said sockets and said buttonsto engage and hold said dense layers therebetween and to affix saidsockets to said resilient pad. 1

2. In combination, a driven member, a backing pad having apertures,first fastener elements afiixed to said member through said apertures, aresilient lightweight pad of plastic material, said resilient pad havinga plurality of recesses, one for each of said fastener, elements, saidrecesses extending from a face of said resilient pad opposite saiddriven member part way therethrough, said resilient pad having denselayers at the bottoms of said recesses, a second fastener element on theface of said resilient pad opposite each of said recesses and engagedwith one of said first fastener elements, a third fastener element ineach of said recesses, and means extending through each of said denselayers and connecting said second fastener elements and said thirdfastener elements to engage and hold said dense layer therebetween andto afi'ix said second fastener elements to said resilient paid.

3. In combination, a driven member, a backing pad having apertures,fastener studs screwed into said driven member through said apertures,means attaching said backing pad to said driven member, a thick,resilient pad having a plurality of openings therein, one for each ofsaid fastener studs, said openings extending from a face of saidresilient pad opposite said driven member at least part waytherethrough, said resilient pad having connecting means extendingacross each of said openings, a fastener socket affixed to each of saidconnectingmeans on the side of said connecting means toward said drivenmember and engaged with one of said studs, a fastener button in each ofsaid openings on the side of the connecting means opposite theassociated socket, and a rivet extending through each of said connectingmeans and connecting said sockets and said buttons to hold and engagesaid connecting means therebetween and to affix said sockets to saidresilient pad.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein said connecting means isa metal clip having a dimension measured transversely of the associatedopening exceeding the diameter of the opening.

5. In combination, a driven member, a backing pad adjacent said member,firs-t fastener elements aflixed to said member through said padadjacent said backing pad, a resilient lightweight pad, second fastenerelements near the face of said resilient pad facing said driven memberand engageable with said first fastener elements, and a clip aflixingeach of said second elements to said resilient pad, with one of saidfirst and second elements being sockets and the other of said first andsecond elements being studs.

6. In combination, a resilient floor pad having an opening extendingtherethrough, connecting means extending across said opening, saidconnecting means comprising a metal clip having a pair of opposedprojections, the distance across which exceeds the largest transversedimension of said opening, said projections extending into said pad onopposite sides of said opening, a fastener element on one side of saidconnecting means, a fastener button on the opposite side of saidconnecting means, and means extending through said connecting means toconnect said element and said button to engage and hold said connectingmeans therebetween and to affix said element relative to said pad.

7. In combination, a resilient floor pad having an opening extending atleast part way therethrough, connecting means extending across saidopening, said connecting means being of thin resilient metal andcomprising a Web, a pair of legs diverging from opposite ends of saidWeb,

and a pair of projections extending in opposite directions from the endsof said legs opposite said Web, the distance across the tips of saidprojections exceeding the largest transverse dimension of said opening,said diverging legs having openings therein to receive a tool, afastener element on one side of said Web, and means connecting saidfastener element to said Web to affix said element relative to saidresilient pad.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,598,699 6/1952 Jordan 15-244 X2,769,994 11/1956 Sutton 15-98 2,840,839 7/1958 Benedetti 155352,842,904 7/1958 Ralys 51358 2,991,596 7/1961 Walters 51-376 3,008,16811/1961 Doyle. 3,078,489 2/ 1963 Miller et a1. 15209.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 227,840 4/ 1960 Australia. 1,259,236 3/1961 France.1,097,853 1/1961 Germany.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION A DRIVEN MEMBER, A BACKING PAD HAVING APERTURES,FASTENER STUDS SCREWED INTO SAID MEMBER THROUGH SAID APERTURES, MEANSATTACHING SAID BACKING PAD TO SAID DRIVEN MEMBER, A THICK, RESILIENT PADOF PLASTIC FIBROUS MATERIAL, SAID RESILIENT PAD HAVING A PLURALITY OFRECESSES, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID FASTENER STUDS, SAID RECESSES EXTENDINGFROM A FACE OF SAID RESILIENT PAD OPPOSITE SAID DRIVEN MEMBER PART WAYTHERETHROUGH, SAID RESILIENT PAD HAVING DENSE LAYERS AT THE BOTTOMS OFSAID RECESSES, A FASTENER SOCKET ON THE FACE OF SAID RESILIENT PADOPPOSITE EACH OF SAID RECESSES AND ENGAGED WITH ONE OF SAID STUDS, AFASTENER BUTTON IN EACH OF SAID RECESSES, AND A RIVET EXTENDING THROUGHEACH OF SAID DENSE LAYERS AND CONNECTING SAID SOCKETS AND SAID BUTTONSTO ENGAGE AND HOLD SAID DENSE LAYERS THEREBETWEEN AND TO AFFIX SAIDSOCKETS TO SAID RESILIENT PAD.